MASON AND SAGE

Chapter 16 ~ Mason

The relief I felt when Sage said she wanted to give us a chance was...incredible. Unbelievable. More than I deserved. It was actually better than when the doctor told me they had cleared up the infection and would not have to amputate my arm. That may sound crazy, but to me it was like my arm versus my heart. One I could live without, the other I couldn't.

On the day we were caught in a firefight, I thought seriously about my life ending when I realized we were surrounded by the enemy. And I thought about my life without Sage and realized it had already ended when she told me she was done with me. I knew she meant every word.

So death suddenly didn't seem like the enemy it had always been before -- something dark and evil looming before me, behind me, beside me, ready to pop out at any given moment and take me down. Death was something to be avoided and fought back then because I had Sage to return to, our life to look forward to. 

With the bullets in my arm and shoulder, blood pouring out of me at an alarming rate and two of my men down, I thought that was it. It was all over. The curtain was coming down. While I felt the life draining from me, I decided I was OK with it since I didn't have Sage. She would take care of Cashew, and I'd changed my will many months ago making her the beneficiary of my life insurance policy, giving her my trust fund, my house, my SUV -- anything of value I had, Sage would get. She'd be set for life, and in that way, I knew I could let go, knowing I'd taken care of my girl one last time and she'd be OK.

Then two things happened.

The helicopter had landed, giving us cover as they were laying down suppressive fire. We just had to get to them, but those twenty five yards might as well have been miles given our injuries.

And then my Sage's beautiful face appeared before me.

Her face changed everything.

Sage saved my life, and probably Jake's.

Connor, in better shape than Jake, rallied himself.

"We need to get Jake," he said.

Enrico was with us, the least hurt of all of us. "I got your backs," he said. "Can you three get to safety if I'm covering us?"

We had no choice. Connor looked dubiously at Jake, who was barely conscious. "I don't --" He started to voice his doubts.

Sage.

Sage. Get back to Sage.

"I got him," I said. "On three."

On three we went. I half carried, half dragged Jake, Connor stumbled alongside us and Enrico had our backs.

Sage, Sage, Sage, I chanted all the way to the helicopter.

Sage, Sage, Sage.

Yard by yard, we got there, and it wasn't the helicopter I was seeing in front of me, it was Sage's face.

Mason, she seemed to be beckoning me closer so I ran toward her.

I had promised myself, if I could make it ten feet, I could kiss her again. I would kiss her again.

Then if I made it halfway to the helicopter, I could kiss her again.

Then If I could make it the last few yards to the helicopter, I could kiss her again.

Every step of the way, the thought of Sage kept me going, kept me moving, kept me conscious.

Then we were there, and our fellow Marines were lifting us up, taking control -- and just before I passed out, I thought I could kiss Sage again.